Originally Posted by Gerdz
Both wheels on my BikeE RX were shot, so I'm having them built with disc-compatible hubs as the bike has disc tabs on the frame and I've never been really happy with the way it brakes. I was thinking about using a mechanical set like the Avid BB-5 or BB-7 and just using the same brake cables. Is this a bad idea? Is there any advantage to a hydraulic system for an on-road bike? The run would probably be similar in length to that on a tandem.
Is the BB-5 a good set or is the 7 or some other better? I see the 5's pretty cheap now, but I don't want to go the cheap and unhappy route.
Thanks,
Mike.
The main advantage, in fact difference of the BB7s over the BB5 is ease of adjustment. The BB5s do not have the outside (Moving) pad adjuster, the only way to adjust how far that pad is in is the cable tension.
The BB5s also use different pads than the rest of the Avid family and those pads might be harder to find. I bet this isn't as much a problem as when they first came out (They are more common now and speced on more bikes nowadays,) but is still good to know.
The Avid brakes in general are pretty spiff. I've run both 5s and 7s. The only thing I'll throw out there is the Speed dial levers are nice to help dial in the modulation -just- the way you want it. If you've got an especially long cable run you might want to look into brake housing that will resist compression, such as the Nokon sets.